Cancer patients were ultimately unaffected by the third dose of the Covid vaccine

They were previously on the list of people at risk who could receive a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Israel announced on Sunday that cancer patients are not ultimately on the list of people at risk who are eligible to receive a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine, contrary to what authorities said earlier this week.

On Monday, the Jewish state began giving a third dose of the vaccine to patients with weakened immune systems, including some with cancer, considering there is a chance that patients treated with anti-immunostainers “will not develop a satisfactory level of antibodies after two doses.”

But the Ministry of Health finally reversed its decision, saying that after studying data from oncology departments of hundreds of patients, it was not “recommended at this point to vaccinate” people a third time with cancer.

“Almost 90% of chemotherapy patients developed antibodies after (two doses) of the vaccine and the antibody level remains elevated for several months after vaccination,” the ministry says. In addition, vaccination may have side effects (…) that can affect treatment. “

Dozens of people with cancer have received a third dose since Monday, according to a spokesperson for Sheba Hospital, Israel’s largest, located in the Tel Aviv area.

Doubts in Europe

The Hebrew state was among the first countries to launch a massive vaccination campaign in mid-December thanks to an agreement with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which quickly supplied the country with millions of doses in return. BioNTech Corporation.

The two laboratories announced on July 8 that they would soon request authorization for a third dose in the United States and Europe.

European authorities believe, however, that it is “too early” to know whether a new dose is really necessary, while the World Health Organization is concerned that a third dose may be circulated to the detriment of countries whose citizens are present. They do not have access to vaccines.